Plushie Therapy
by Wordgawk
Summary: A trek across the Thunder Plains unnerves Rikku who has enough worries about her journey without adding thunder and an all too serious Auron to her list.


Author's note: I wrote this story a long time ago but time went by and I forgot to post it up for the world to enjoy. Let's just say this was pre-FFX-2 release material... This story takes place about halfway through FFX when the gang is heading across the Thunder Plains.

Disclaimer: FFX characters aren't mine. It would be fun if they were.

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Plushie Therapy

Thunder ripped loudly through the Thunder Plain's dark, bleak sky and Rikku suppressed a full-out scream by clamping her hand on her mouth.. Though she was safely inside Thunder Plains' inn, she couldn't help but feel jittery and completely on edge with each resounding slam of thunder. Looking around at her group of friends inside the small lobby, she felt like such a fool. None of them were afraid of the weather. None of them had signs of the slightest discomfort. Tidus was cheerful, as well as Wakka. Kimahri and Auron were made of steel (weren't they always). Lulu appeared collected and calm; did anything ever faze her? And Yuna...well, she was a summoner, so that was different. Rikku always figured summoners had limitless courage if they were willing to face the destructive force that was Sin.

While Lulu and Wakka finished reserving rooms for the group, a sudden thought came to the young Al Bhed's mind: she had to _sleep _with this crazy racket going on outside! She began backing away casually, sandwiching herself into the nearest corner and sliding down to the cold floor. She had to think of something to get her through the night. Maybe the inn sold ear plugs for this kind of problem. Biting her lip with growing anxiousness, Rikku drew her knees up tightly against her chest, arms circling them just as taut. There was no way she could pass up any chance for sleep along this journey. She needed all the strength she could get, with all the future fiends and even tougher foes that would show up.

A boom shook the floor, causing her to cower even more. Was there even any point in having a room reserved for her? No sleep was coming tonight, that was for sure. She rocked back and forth and eventually the perpetually lively Tidus came and kneeled in front of her. His bright, sea-blue eyes crinkled as he smiled, friendly and open. His shock of bleached blond hair draped the sides of his face and he moved a casual hand over it. "How are you holding up?"

Rikku's head shook glumly. "How does it look like?"

Tidus's gloved hand rested on her knee. It felt reassuring. "You'll be fine. You're inside now, so concentrate on something else."

"It's not easy." She sighed, managing to smile at his attempt to lift her spirits. "Thanks anyway."

He stood and walked off in the direction of the rooms. Probably to see what Yunie was up to. Rikku was sick of the freezing ground, but refused to head off to her room. She stood and wandered around the tiny inn, noticing the information terminal with its glowing blue monitor. That would come in handy later when she would no doubt need it to keep her mind busy and off the rumbling noise on the other side of the walls. Turning away from the console, Rikku smacked right into Lulu. The smaller girl apologized.

"Don't worry about it." Lulu's hands moved in front and suddenly her plush Moogle popped up in them.

"Heeeey, that's neat!" Rikku laughed, seeing that the doll was so much cuter up close. The X-ed out eyes and the bobbing red antennae always looked silly. The violet wings on the back was an interesting touch. Rikku's mouth formed a quizzical O as the older woman held out the Moogle. "I thought you might need a companion when you're trying to sleep tonight." Lulu explained.

Moved, Rikku accepted the doll with a grin. "It's _so _cute! Thanks so much, Lulu! You sure you won't need this little cutie for yourself?" Then she remembered that the black mage still had a handful of other stuffed friends and she smiled at the thought of the group of them surrounding Lulu as she slept tonight. "Thanks again. It's really nice of you."

A pretty smile spread on plum lips. "My pleasure. Sleep well, Rikku."

Booming thunder made the blond jump. "You have more faith than me!" The black mage left and Rikku pretended to be occupied examining the stuffed doll. Her peripheral vision watched Lulu exit the lobby, followed steadfastly behind by Wakka, Kimahri then Auron. As soon as Auron's back disappeared out of sight, Rikku lunged at the front counter. "Doyouhaveanyearplugs?" she blurted, trying her luck.

The woman behind the counter smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry, we've sold our last pair just this morning. We won't be getting in any more until later this week."

Her mouth opened in shock. She couldn't believe the inn actually had them! The employers must make a bundle of cash from travelers as lightening-phobic as she was. Rikku pulled away from the counter and jumped upon seeing Auron eying her from the hallway's entrance.

"You've been watching me?" Rikku pouted as she meekly walked up to him to their rooms, squeezing the stuffed Moogle doll with some apprehension.

"I merely overheard you." Auron's left russet eye glanced at her with...amusement? He turned the knob at his door and as he stepped in, Rikku threw in quickly, "G'night!"

"Good night, Rikku." Just as he shut the door, she thought she heard a quiet chuckle. Maybe her hearing was making her hear odd things. She hoped he wasn't going to tell the rest of the group about her zany earplug request. It was bad enough to scream at every strike of thunder that boomed in the night. She didn't need more hassle. Staring at the closed door across the hall, she stalled between going into her room or heading back to the lobby. Her ragged emotions moved her to the room. Somehow, maybe she would be lucky enough to fall asleep this night. She could only hope.

Two long hours later, still laying on her bed with more than a bit of terror welling up at the loudness banging in the night, Rikku let out an annoyed groan. Lulu's Moogle did help a little and she liked playing with the red antennae ball sticking out the top of its head, but there was only so long it could amuse before the thunder brought her back into reality. Grasping the doll, she slowly sat up and left the room, wondering what she could do. Her mind spun and a short wave of dizziness forced her to wobble, but she got the door open without falling over. She wished she could just settle down!

Rikku's ears perked when she heard the unusual noise of quiet shuffling within Auron's room. Why would he be up so late? Even though she considered Auron stuffy and unfeeling since he seemed so much wiser than the rest of the group, maybe he could tell her some stories to keep her mind occupied. If he held the remedy for her insomnia, it was worth putting up with a little reclusive attitude.

Gathering some courage for the venture into the unknown, she rapped very lightly on his door. A little too light it seemed, for no reply came. Should she knock again? Or forget it? Her head hung in disappointment, Lulu's tiny Moogle held tight against her chest. _Well, the information terminal it is- _

Her eyes lifted in surprise at a puff of moving air by her feet and she found herself looking through a partly open door. There stood a somewhat unkempt Auron who didn't appear as annoyed as Rikku initially thought he would have been. His black leather vest was taut and kinda shiny and it accentuated his muscled arms. Past him she saw a small table and a chair, his long garnet coat draped over the chair's back. Rikku felt herself gulp.

"Rikku? What are you doing up so late?" Auron's deep voice was hushed, inquisitive.

Clearing her throat nervously, she kept floating on her river of courage as she smoothly responded, "I can ask the same about you. I'm afraid so I already have a reason to be up, but you're not-" Embarrassment flooded over her head like a tidal wave. She hadn't meant to admit that aloud. "W-what I meant was, I'm bored and since you sounded like you were awake, I wanted to visit. You could tell me some stories to pass the time."

Auron politely stepped aside. "Come in."

Timidness made her feel awkward as he shut the door behind her. She was in the presence of such a strong-willed man who stood up to most everything and here she went bothering him due to mere insomnia? Maybe she should leave. Auron felt sorry for her; why else would he invite her in? So he could take the opportunity to expand his Al Bhed vocabulary? To learn the basics of machina? Unlikely. But she was glad for any distraction and she breathed in the warmer air in the cozy room, carefully lowering herself into the chair with his coat. The backs of her feet bumped something underneath the chair; then she saw his boots weren't on. In fact, he only wore his typical dark pants and vest, both always shielded with the huge outer shell of his flowing coat. He wore no armlets either. And she could actually see his lips move when he spoke, which was a rarity. Rikku silently agreed that he was a pretty good-looking man for his age. Wait... how old was he again? She didn't recall ever having asked him before.

Rikku cleared her throat. "You never answered my question."

"Question? I don't recall you asking one."

"I did! Kind of... about why you're up so late. That was a question." She fumbled with her words.

Seating himself on the bed, Auron rubbed his forehead. "Had trouble sleeping."

She nodded emphatically. "Yeah, that thunder is brutal. It's enough to wake the dead."

An odd look crossed Auron's face which Rikku didn't understand. "I was thinking."

As if on cue, Rikku's insides thrummed as a boom pierced the night. She clutched the doll, her hands slightly sweaty. She put it down on the table in case she took off its head by accidentally. Lulu would probably never forgive her for ruining a perfectly good doll.

"Oh. Well, you can forget what I said." Restless, she rose and even though didn't want to, but she started to pace. Wandering the room, she trailed her hands along the far wall opposite. Bright and skillfully applied designs were painted on the walls. She traced and traced. Little crescents and circles, a couple lines here and there, some other shapes too. Then her nervousness began to make her ramble. "You know, that monstrous buffet back there at Guadosalam was amazing. The table with all the fruit? Towers and towers of it? What a delight! I'm tellin' ya, I was the only one eating out of all of us. I mean, Lulu was standing at the table too but she never touched a piece! I couldn't believe it. And I _know _Wakka is a connoisseur 'cause he was staring at that fruit but acted polite and didn't eat either. But I could tell in his eyes that he reeeeally wanted some-"

"Rikku-"

"And boy, Yunie didn't even glance at the table! But she was nervous about meeting Seymour so I could understand. And Tidus-" Rikku gasped when firm hands held her wrists. "W-what? I was about to tell you about Tidus and-"

"Stop."

"Why? He's important."

"So are you. You need to rest."

A familiar vertigo clouded her head again and she took a step back. Auron's hold tightened on her arm, felt him walk her. She mumbled, "No, no sleep. I can't. I told you the noise outside keeps me up."

"Then stay awake."

Auron didn't release her until he veered her to his comfy mattress and sat her down. She slowly sighed as the room stopped moving. "I want to stop being afraid of this dumb thunder. I want to help Yunie with the Final Summoning. I want to help Tidus find a way back to his Zanarkand. I-"

"Think of those things tomorrow. They won't do you any good now."

"I guess." Feeling drained, Rikku scooted over to the end of the bed so he had room to sit. "I just wanna solve all these problems. It's pretty crazy work."

"It is. But taking things one at a time should help considerably. Like right now, you can deal with your fear of this weather."

A groan was her response and her arms dropped in her lap. "Good luck there. That will take forever."

"Try for tonight, then. Call it a challenge." Auron got comfortable at the head of the bed and leaned back against its headboard. His pillow was used for back support.

"Ever the optimist, huh, Auron?" Rikku smiled, but received no response. Not that she expected any. "So tell me what's on your mind. You said you were thinking."

"It's a rather personal matter."

"Aw, come on, I'm sure it's something I can help you with. I've got all night!"

"And how about me? You expect me to stay up?"

"Right. I forgot the thunder isn't keeping you awake."

Both of them remained silent, one looking at the other, secret thoughts floating in each of their minds. Rikku felt some discomfort by having all of his undivided attention. _It's so great here, all toasty in this room. Maybe I'll switch rooms with him since mine feels like the inside of a freezer. Who would've thought Auron of all people would be the one to help me out. He's really a nice guy._

"Rikku?"

"Nothing. It's nothing." The petite blond rolled onto her back, staring up at the blank ceiling to avert her eyes. Was she becoming..._attached_ to Auron? This stoic container of emotions? That couldn't be. Rikku asked at random, "So what do you think of Tidus?"

A brief pause. "He's rambunctious and too quick to react in situations."

"Does that mean you hate him?"

"I never said that."

"Do you?" Rikku's blond head lifted slightly and she stared directly at his face.

"Not at all."

She sat up. She worked up courage for one of her ponderings and pushed out in a blurt, "Do you hate _me_?"

"I can't answer that."

"Why not?"

His good eye closed, his coffee-toned skin contrasting the pale wood his back rested against. "You're not a person I would choose to hate."

Rikku considered his answer. It sounded reasonable enough. Tapping her index finger on her chin, she said finally, "So...so that means the people you hate must have done things that are too horrible for words?"

"You could define it as that."

"So you really don't despise Tidus? I know he can be a huge pain sometimes."

"I've seen him grow, from the time he was a child up until how he now. I've learned to be tolerant."

"Looks that way to me! I mean, I've seen him swarming around you and asking questions and you don't go yelling or worse. That kind of stuff takes real restraint." Rikku nodded assent, thinking back on the times when grouchiness made her feel like swatting Tidus away because of his pestering. She wished Auron would look at her. Was he going to spend the rest of the conversation looking like he was going to sleep?

A dark, humorless left eye met swirling jade when he finally gazed at her. "Restraint? From what?"

A heaviness parked itself in her stomach. "From...from uh, pushing him away or going all berserk and yelling like crazy. Or um, other stuff." Auron's pointed gaze was making her unsure of her words.

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, it's something you would do, right?" She laughed dumbly.

"You think of me like that? That I would deliberately hurt someone?"

The liquid fire of apprehension flowed through her. "No! That's not what I mean!"

"Then how?"

What _did _she mean to say? That deep inside Auron, a demonic rage lie within? A silent emotion which could erupt instantly at any given moment? Was she scared? Scared of _him_? There's so much she didn't know about the man. His history, any part of the past. She didn't know exactly how he responded to everything. But he couldn't be cruel. Stern yeah, but not cruel. Rikku tensed at the significance of her weighty assumptions. During this time, Auron carefully watched her. She suddenly looked at him funny. He didn't appear at all offended. Not at all...

It dawned on her what he was doing. Her mouth dropped open. "Are you testing me?"

Amusement lifted up Auron's facial features, clearly giving her the answer. "You know, you need to work on that overanalyzing mind of yours. You can come to some unfavorable conclusions if you don't."

Burning with sheer embarrassment at the transparency of her thoughts, Rikku could do nothing more daring than sticking her tongue out. "I hate you."

"Do you?" Now Auron laughed. Deep, pleasant.

Reddening even more, she mumbled sheepishly, "Okay, okay, I'll think before I hate. Stop tricking me!"

"Only if you go to sleep."

"Sleep? Uh, well, a little later." It occurred to her that it was late. Thunder still banged outside and possibly for the first time since she had been inside the Guadosalam inn, she had paid no heed to it. Auron had gotten her mind off of the raging storm outside! Pleasant tingling skidded up her spine. Despite being laughed at, she didn't mind it at all. Being laughed at was one thing; being laughed at by _Auron _was something so phenomenal, it absolutely needed to be recorded in the history books!

"If you don't, I'll make you."

"By doing what, knocking me out?" Rikku shook her head like it was a dumb idea.

"No. I'll simply wake Yuna and have her cast Sleep on you."

"Ah! You wouldn't! You'd wake up a perfectly snoozing Yuna just to get me to sleep? You're mean!"

"It would be a lot more peaceful than if it is you complaining about lack of rest on the journey tomorrow."

Rikku's head slowly bobbed at an entirely different understanding as she turned and dangled her feet off the bed's edge. So, he considered her a nuisance. A loudmouth. Like how Tidus was a pest to her when she walked around in one of her crummy moods. Her emotions fluctuated; she didn't like the idea of being merely an annoying brat to the older man. She wanted to be useful and resourceful. She still worked on perfecting her item stealing tactics from monsters so she couldn't be a pro at that yet to be dependably useful. But couldn't that be enough proof to show her worth? That she made progress?

"Rikku."

Rikku leveled her gaze across the room onto Auron's jacket and said absently, "Uh yeah. complaining. I'd do that." As she stared at the chair, inspiration struck. She slid off the mattress and snatched her Moogle from the table. Auron's eyes were boring laser holes in her back, she could sense. She turned to find her assumption correct, but it was what she wanted. She faced him and settled down beside the chair, trying to suppress a grin. With one arm possessing the doll, the free one plucked his ornamented boots from underneath the seat and placed them in front of her. Rikku's mouth twitched as she stared hard at the white doll. She slipped the tiny Moogle's legs into the boots. She burst out in giggles upon the sight of the huge boots on the small doll. "Cute, isn't it Auron? And look, what's this?" His armlets were slipped on the doll's own, but they kept dropping off so Rikku ditched them . Near his boots was his canteen and Rikku nabbed it, looping the securing beaded string used for Auron's waist around the dressed-up antennae doll. Naturally, the string didn't fit at all, but she hastily managed it so it didn't roll all over the floor. She didn't bother with his coat; it was too huge. But that didn't stop her from tossing on the garment loosely around her shoulders, the red depths of fabric swallowing her body. Geez, the coat really was huge!

She hadn't looked at Auron as she did her makeover because she wanted to see his final reaction. "Isn't it the cutest thing ever? Oh wait, one last thing!" She reached up to the tabletop, feeling around until she held the last piece for her art. Delicately unfolding his metallic sunglasses, she pressed her lips together in concentration as she balanced it on top of the Moogle's round nose. Whooping in success, she enveloped in smiles as she presented her masterpiece with a flourish. "Tell me you honestly don't find that adorable! Look at your little twin!"

Intrigued expressions played a subtle battle on the man's face before a chuckle surfaced. The young Al Bhed's mouth couldn't stretch any wider. She did it! Two Auron laughs in one night! Oh, if only the others heard them!

"You never cease to amaze me, Rikku," were Auron's next words.

She beamed. "I'm glad you like it. Maybe I should take a picture and show Lulu later." She admired her work, giggling at its slick appearance and the majorly oversized accessories.

"Thank you."

"Huh?"

"Thank you. For showing me."

"Show you what?"

"That I could forget troubling things for awhile. It's been so long."

Blushing at hearing him speak so genially, Rikku could only shake her head. "It's no big deal."

"To have your innocence...it's something rare. This world is too harsh, people within it too self-absorbed. While Sin is a terrifying entity for so many people, their willingness to work together despite races or beliefs astounds me time after time. It's refreshing to see this selflessness in our group."

Rikku felt embarrassed, but she kept grinning. "Well, I do get selfish sometimes. But I try and think of the positives, if I can. But it's hard." She yawned, feeling happy she understood the man a fraction more during this trip. To her surprise, her eyelids drooped.

Maybe she was going to be able to sleep tonight after all!

THE END

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A/N: That's it for my fanfic. I hope those of you who have finished the game had caught the subtle, ironic joke about Auron in my story. If you know about his past, you'll understand it. I had a hoot when I wrote it out. Please review!


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